Here are the guidelines for your end-of-unit reflection:
- In your Reflection, I want you to discuss the following:
- What did you learn in this unit? Be sure to provide specific examples and page numbers.
- What did you find interesting/uninteresting in this unit?
- What challenged you in this unit? What came easy?
- After experiencing this unit, what do you look forward to trying out in your short fiction assignment?
- Reflections must be AT LEAST 200 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your reflection. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
- From the "Comment As" drop-down menu, choose Anonymous, then click "Publish."
- This Reflection is due by midnight on Thursday, 10/11, no exceptions.
In this unit I learned that there's various ways to write fiction and that the format for it doesn't have to be constrained, you can be more open with it. For example, the structure in "The Hit-man" was something I hadn't seen before. Also the structure in "Girl" was unique with Jamaica Kincaid writing the entire story in form of a list "this is how you set a table...;this is how you sweep a yard"(163). In regards to what i found interesting, I thought the ambiguity in many of these stories was something that made them more compelling and interesting. Specifically, in the excerpts from "Scores" all three of the stories you had to read in between the lines which made the stories more stimulating for me personally. I found the use of the complex imagery in many of the stories we read difficult especially since I'm going to try to apply it in my own writing. It will be challenging to try to reproduce, for example, the imagery in "Tunguska". Robert Moreira writes at the end of "Tunguska", "An Arctic wind wafts onto his hands, his arms, his face from under the front door. He shivers. In the kitchen his mother hangs over the dinner table like a still paper chime " (2). This type of descriptive imagery is something i look forward to trying out in my future short fiction works.
ReplyDeleteAdrian Martinez
As expected, I very much enjoyed this unit more so than the previous. Having to write about myself proved to be a struggle for me during the creative process whereas in this section I was able to quickly formulate what I wanted to write about even when we were given a complication and word limit. What I took from this unit was that there are various ways in which we can structure our short-short fiction, like how T.C. Boyle’s “The Hit Man” (149-152) had a unique structure that featured subtitles which then focused on small bits of the hitman’s life. I also preferred this unit because I felt there was more to look into and discuss about than in the short-nonfiction unit like with “Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver and “The Reunion” by John Cheever about parenting and gender roles. While I don’t think I found any negatives in this unit, I can say that if something is a packed with descriptive details then maybe the focus is lost (on my part) like with Robert Moreira’s short short fictions which left me having to reread multiple times. What I found challenging, but in a good way, was having to reach a word limit because there are multiple ways to start a story but having to stop at a certain point and making sure it’s consistent was fun to do. Overall I didn’t expect for it to come quite easy for me, because when I was given my complication I initially believed it would be hard since it didn’t seem to be a bad one but I decided to have the complication be a burden for my character and once I was given the second complication I was surprised how well it fit with my first. I am looking forward to continuing with the short-short story and using the characters to try and fix the situation they are in with this assignment. Although I’m sure I will find moments where I may get stuck with how to proceed in some parts, I think because it’s not about myself that I can overlook the limitations I found in the short non-fiction unit.
ReplyDeleteSavannah Lopez
Reading nonfiction short stories was fun. I really like the different writing style and stories. I can’t say I don't prefer reading non-fiction; but I enjoy both. And I'm with those who feel that you learn as much about life and, especially, gain insight into human nature and emotions in well-written fiction as in non-fiction; Or more, actually. In the meantime, all nonfiction depends upon the research skills, integrity and organizational abilities of the author, too, as well as his or her judgment in terms of how to understand, interpret and present the information at hand. Only to the extent that these things are done well do histories present us with reality. Memoirs, of course, while nonfiction, are subject to the memories, interpretations and agendas of their writers. For instance the short story “Shoes” By Robert Moreira is great, I didn’t like one of the character Brudos and at the same time you can picture the scene as you read it was disgusting but I couldn’t stop reading. I wanted to see the end. Another story was The “Reunion” by John Cheever was great too page 156. Most of the story was easy to relate to and interesting. The challenges was the style of writing and the content. Sometimes the content is hard to understand and I have to go back and read it again. I’m trying to write my short fiction using the style of “Popular Mechanics” by Raymond Carver.
ReplyDeleteFatimata Traore
This unit included a variety of works showing just how much freedom there is when it comes to writing short fiction. Whether it be from the different writing styles to the kinds of context, what I have read throughout the unit has shown me that there is a lot of room for creativity. For example, in T. Coraghessan Boyle's "The Hit Man" on page 149, Boyle was able to show us that writing short fiction does necessarily mean that the format of our writing must flow along the lines of what we consider traditional but rather that there is a purpose included in the structure of our writing in addition to the material that is written. I find it interesting how Boyle was able to intriguingly write this short story in a way that was not only eye-catching but pleasantly unusual. I would look forward to trying out new and different styles in my writing, seeing what it can add to a story; however, I am unsure if these different structures would best suit my writing or if it would end up serving more as a distraction rather than being complementary. Besides different writing structures, after reading how several of these stories did not provide direct, overall messages and left room for open interpretation, I really want to improve on forming my writing in a way that has a similar effect. Although I did find some of the stories difficult to understand, there was an element of curiosity and interest that this obscurity provided for.
ReplyDeleteKimberly Cervantes
During this short fiction unit, I learned more in detail of what are short story or flash fiction is. For example, a short-short story or short story must have these fundamental elements of fiction: structure and design, character(s), dialogue, setting(s), point of view, tone, and style (Starkey, 100-101). Additionally, a short story or short-short story “is not a fragment…it is a complete work, with a beginning, middle, and an end.” In other words, it has elements of a novel, yet it’s greatly condensed regarding length. (Starkey, 102)
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I found this unit, overall, interesting, since I specialize in fiction rather than nonfiction. Additionally, it was interesting of learning the basics of a short story. However, I found the peeling-back-the-layers seems harder to decipher with the readings I was assigned.
Third, I found that writing a short story and peeling-back-the-layers, as I said before, challenged significantly. Writing a short story with the so-called guidelines, within the book, is somewhat difficult to follow to incorporate into the story, such as significant dialogue toward the story and character, “correct” point of view, believable and relatable characters, proper structure and design, tone, and style. On the other hand, creating and formulating ideas really do come easy to me.
Lastly, I do look forward to incorporating and become skilled with the basics and advanced techniques I mentioned above this paragraph (i.e significant dialogue toward the story and character, “correct” point of view, etc.) to my assignment.
Jose Contreras | 241 Words
In this short-short fiction section, I’ve come to respect the simplicity in ambiguity. In the story “Shoes”, very awful people are set up without the author directly making their gross, murderous tendencies blatantly known to the reader. In my own work i struggle with this area because I want the reader to know the every thought of an antagonistic figure, as villains in writing usually get less time for a developed backstory and general character development. Nuance seems to be a highly important factor in the short story, and while expressing the inner thoughts of a character can help build a strong individual, that would likely be better used in a novel. What seems most important in fiction is to not give everything away, especially in short stories. Difficult, mysterious reads such as “Tunguska” portray uneasy events, but keep the tone subtle and not give it away. That is mainly what I seek to take away from this section, the art of subtlety, nuance, and describing characters by what can be seen, such as the growing madness of the father in “Reunion” or the stoic anger of the man in “Popular Mechanics.” I will do my best to incorporate these themes in my own writing. In this unit, I initially thought I would dislike writing characters with restrictions given to me by someone else, but it helped me flesh out a solid character I’ve been meaning to write. This unit was thoroughly enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteKedrick Wyatt
This unit have been exhilarating! The readings in this unit have taught me useful information that I will be able to add to my writing strategies. What I specifically learned in this unit is the potential structures I can use to frame my stories. There were a couple of stories in this section that made me be more open minded. The ones that stood out in my mind when reading and after reading were, ‘Hit Man,’ ‘Popular Mechanics,’ and ‘Girl.’ These stories were structed in a unique way that I never thought to have formulated a story in such a way.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, in the story, ‘Popular Mechanics,’ on page 155, the author instinctively did not use quotations for the dialogue throughout the story to give an added effect to the reader. I have always used quotations when it came to dialogue, but it was refreshing seeing it done differently.
Another enlightening piece was, ‘Girl.’ This story was written in a list with no breaks. The story seems to be one giant paragraph without breaking into several paragraphs. This had a deeper meaning as it went along with the story, since the story entails a list of what a girl must do and how there really wasn’t a break in her daily life.
I am looking forward to trying out both structures in my writing. I feel it really did make these stories more compelling than what they were stating. And made it more symbolic to the meaning to the story.
- Valerie Valentin
In this unit, the nature of the short-short story was explored. In essence, it compares to the traditional narrative in the elements of what makes up a short-short story. Structure, characters, dialogue, setting, and point of view are each vital components to the short-short story. We were able to see how structure can work to alter the flow of a story in both “Hollywood Ends” and “The Hit Man.” The complexities of characterization were explored in “Shoe” with Brudos (“That mischievous itch on his nostril began to tickle him again.” Pg3), as well as “Reunion” with Charlie’s father (“his boisterousness in the empty restaurant seemed out of place. “Could we have a little service here!” He shouted. “Chop chop.”” Pg.157). I found it interesting how a short story can have such a big impact despite the length of the piece. Also how ambiguity can help draw in a reader to an extent. What challenged was definitely the shortness, seeing as how I've always enjoyed more fleshed out characters t development but the short stories we read in class were straight to the point and didn't lose their ‘magic’ so to speak, therein proving it can be done. I look forward to trying out my best characterizations as well as establishing a good impact despite what I may see as a challenging limitation. It will encourage me to make the most of each and every sentence.
ReplyDeleteSandra Martinez
“A Kind OF Flying” was probably my favorite out of the second part of the section as he was telling his story I feel like it was going to end badly (divorce or the death of his wife) but it has that heartwarming middle to end where they both made each other better in some way. The last paragraph of “A Kind Of Flying found on page 154 and 155 was a nice touch of an ending. The Hit Man on 149-152 and Girl on pages 163-164 both written in an odd way.
ReplyDeleteIn this section I found most if not all the stories interesting but some like the story Girl had a weird way or structure which made that story and a couple other off putting at least to me.
This section made me realize some things I need to work on some things are; to be more descriptive and to work on the flow of my works. Other problems are spelling and punctuation. The things I need to work on are also what makes writing challenging for me. Writing does not come easy but that’s the appeal to me as well as some encouragement from some professors to pursue a writing major.
After experiencing this unit, I plan on trying to add more descriptive words and working on my structure a punctuation. Hoping those would help clarify what I’m trying to convey in my writings
Kristopher R Price
In this unit I learned just how versatile the genre of short fiction can be. Before I had a pretty narrow-minded view of fiction and how it is/can be written, but this unit has helped me to open my eyes and mind. I see how compressing a story into just a few hundred words or a few pages can be just as (if not more!) effective as dragging out and developing the same story through several chapters or books. “Marzipan” and “Crossing the River Zbrucz” are probably the best examples for me, as it is simple lines like “The orange sun is rolling across the sky like a severed head” and “he suddenly recalls how much his mother loved marzipan” that I found carried the most weight (104; 108). I also learned how the structure of the short story can be manipulated to serve a particular purpose (like in Dr. Moreira’s very own “Hollywood Ends” or “The Hit Man”) and don’t always have to follow the “conventions” of how fiction should be written. Since fiction allows for some more creativity than creative non-fiction I especially enjoyed being able to have the opportunity to discuss these stories as a class. It’s always fun for me to try and break down what the author is trying to accomplish with each story and it’s especially exciting when I’m able to hear other people’s opinions and develop new ideas. While I do like how we’ve been slowly building upon our own short stories, I do also wish that we were allowed entirely on our own accord, without having to worry about incorporating something that’s required. I do think it’s a helpful method for some people, but sometimes it can also be a little stifling in that it limits your ability to really write about what you yourself want. I guess I say that because I didn’t like the complications I got, but I am still pretty excited to see what I can create in spite of not liking my prompts. So far writing my short story has been easier than I expected. What came harder to me was deconstructing the meaning of some the stories we read, so I wonder now how my story might be received by others during the workshop and after.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Garza
In short fiction genres the authors write a story that’s usually less then 10,000 words. I feel that would be difficult for me to try and do, considering that our writing assignment is from six hundred to eight hundred words. I feel like that’s my main concern; to try and get my story out in such a short amount of words. But one thing I do look forward to is to try and use context and words that make the reader really think. Just like Robert P. Moreira did in his short fiction stories. For example, in “Tunguska”, he describes that the boy has some type of mental illness, but he never says exactly what the boy has or if he is mentally ill. But, we as the readers come up with that idea with the context he uses. Same thing for his work in “Shoes”. The story is about a serial killer who kills women and chops off their feet because he has a foot fetish. The narrator turns out to be part of all the murders, but the author doesn’t point them out that it’s them exactly. I wish I could say something that I enjoyed about “Hollywood Ends”, but I honestly didn’t understand what was going on. All I know from my understanding was that it was written in a play script. It’s still interesting how the author got his point across through a different text. All in all I just want to succeed and come up with something good in this genre.
ReplyDeleteVictoria Ann Gonzalez
Reading fiction was a lot easier than reading non fiction. As much as some people like their non-fiction I can’t read through it without zoning out. But going back to fiction, it was fun especially some of the short stories or essays either being from the book like Popular Mechanics or the father story that I can’t remember the name of. Not saying they were fun reads but they were more easier to use our imagination and see how we can imagine we are a fly on the wall. Or from Robert Molina’s collection of readings from Scores. They were dark and easy reads. Like my favorite story which was the Shoes story almost a Rob Zombie film. And what I can take away from these stories will be the structure of the story and how you can have fun with it if you want to give your story an extra uff or how descriptive with the sense of environment which the characters are or they surroundings. In conclusion I really enjoyed this section and look forward to whats to come next.
ReplyDeleteJuan Carlos Guerra
I think I learned a lot about tone and style, and condensing what I want to present in my short fiction. I learned with our 100-300 word exercise that I had to keep descriptive words to the point and lead exactly to the next point, so it made me realize how much word usage I spend unnecessarily. I began to think, “Do I really need to describe every little thing right now?” This relates to being clear and not mixing the ‘mood’ I’m presenting to readers. If I’m serious and dark in one paragraph, there needs to be either correlation from that or a steady flow of related feeling. Starkey points out developing tone & style page 139 as “This need to be precise when revising your work, to evaluate not only every sentence but also every word…” And also from William Zinsser who says to “Be grateful for everything that you can throw away. Re-examine each sentence that you put on paper.” Sometimes it’s hard to throw away certain lines because I think they’re crucial to the story but then I realize there are other ways to let the reader know what I’m trying to express without over-spilling/emphasizing sentences that could seem like I’m straying off. Our short fiction stories that we've read have also really shown me the different styles we can use, like Hollywood Ends, the character is obsessed with films, and characters himself and the style in which the story was written or a 'play' reflects the character himself because it's how he views life. That's super cool and i didn't realize it fully until our class discussion. It gives the reader a deeper understanding and connection to the characters.
ReplyDelete-Naissa J. Acosta
In this unit, I got to explore fiction writing in short-short stories. I don’t normally write short stories, and the exercises helped me to focus on a genre that I was unfamiliar with. One thing that I couldn’t kill from ambitious novel writing was backstory (page 95). I dragged my short-short stories through layers of mud and history. The short-short stories that we read and discussed in class were mostly void of backstory (history), letting the reader form a tender question of possible background as the narrator displayed simply what was present. What was interesting in this unit was the logline (page 103) that said: if you can’t describe your s.s.s. in 25 words or less, then it’s not a real short-short story. (That’s not actually what it said but that’s the severity with which I took its meaning.) What challenged me was definitely word count. I was hitting those limits, then trading word for word as I went back to edit. It was bad. And unnecessary. What did come easy was the formulating. Backstory and setting sprung up like a spring flood. I’ve never seen a spring flood, but the backstory (that’s unwelcomed, remember?) and setting were always on hand. I finished the short fiction assignment before writing this, which means two things. 1. I really did look forward to it. 2. My priority of procrastination was astounding in this odd case. (Not that I procrastinate in this class). This has been my favorite unit so far.
ReplyDeleteRaquel Williams
Going into the fiction section of the class, I was looking forward to what I would be reading and the exercise we would be given. Non-fiction can be an interesting read and an interesting topic to write but there are certain details that the author must recall from their memory and just like eyewitness accounts, they are not always reliable. But with fiction, the chains of fact and accurateness are broken and the mind of the writer is free to create whatever character, story or world they want to make. They are free to wander and create a world of pure imagination. What I learned about this section was the infinite stories you can create and read with just the mind. I also learned of numerous ways you can interpret certain elements, create the world and envision it in your mind, the styles of writing out the story, whether to make the reader read through the lines and ambiguity or to state what was happening but having fun with the words and descriptions. The styles of writing were on of the interesting things I found in this section. Examples of the styles of writing stories are The Hitman (Page 149) and Hollywood Ends (Page 8 Scores). Hitman was told in chronological order and made it seem like it was about a paid assassin or hitman but it is revealed to be Death itself, presented as a human being. Hollywood Ends is formatted like a film script with the letter positioning and the subtitles of Scene 1 and Scene 2. Another interesting thing was how you can mislead or throw in twists to the story and catch the reader off guard. An example would be Shoes ( Page 3 Scores) where it is revealed that the wife and husband are behind all the killings in town or again in Hitman (Page 149) where it’s revealed that the protagonist is death. For what was not interesting was that some of these fictional stories came off as non-fiction. Such as A Kind of Flying (Page 152) and Reunion (Page 156) could pass off as non-fiction , there was creative descriptions and situations but not to where it could be put in a fictional world. I’m not saying that every fictional story should have magic or dragons in it, but at least some element to make it stand out at least. What came as challenging was that some stories required the reader to read the story multiple times and read in between the lines. A perfect example would be Tenguska (Page 1 Scores) where the story has multiple symbolisms and nothing is laid out in plain sight for the reader, such as the protagonist seeing “The cat, tailless, still furry, still dripping red, stuck between her backside and thighs.” It wasn’t the cat he saw it was the mother having a miscarriage. What came easy was picking up on most of the symbolism, such as the baby in Popular Mechanics (Page 155). It symbolizes purity, innocence and is the symbol of the love between two people and of course them fighting over who gets to keep it symbolizes the breaking of that bond. After taking all of this in, I hope to apply imagery and symbolism that is complex enough to where it won’t be too hard for readers to understand or they can at least interpret in more than one way.
ReplyDelete- Michael Lucio